Index

Materials. 3
Over tunic. 4
Sash 5
Under tunic. 6
Leather Jerkin. 8
Shoulders. 9
Pauldrons. 13
Vambraces. 14
Aging/distressing fabric. 18

Copyright © 2019 by Alexander Agricola All rights reserved.

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Printed in the United Kingdom
First Printing, 2019

An exclusive project for the Black Raven Armoury Academy

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www.blackravenarmoury.co.uk
Materials.
- Thick leather
- Thin leather
- Pig skin (vambraces)
- Dye
- Antiquing fluid
- Rivets
- Buckles
- Domes
- 3 ½ - 4 metres of lining and tunic/hood fabric depending on size and
matching thread
- Fabric for sash – amount will depend on how long you want it to be

Note.
- This pattern was designed for a man with a 44 inch chest who was 5ft
10 inches tall, you may need to adjust the design to fit other sizes, use a
cheap fabric to make a mockup first to ensure the best fit.

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Over tunic.
- Cut out the pattern pieces out of final fabric and the lining.
- Sew the pieces of the lining together at the seams (front panels together,
then side seams and shoulders), and then do the same with the pieces of
final fabric.
- Now you can attach the two pieces together. At this point you add the
collar at the neck.
- Turn the tunic the right way around, press and hand stitch the neck
shut.
Hood
- Cut out the pattern pieces 4 times. This way you will have the lining
fabric the same as the main fabric, as the lining will be seen on the hood.
- Stitch the pieces together so you have two hoods.
- Right sides together, stitch them together as you would with any other
lining.
- Press and run a top stitch around the edges

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Sash
- The sash length will depend on how long you want it to be – your waist
measurement, how many times you want it wrap around and how long you
want the loose part at the side to be.
- However, the width should be about 20cms.
- You can either use a single length of fabric or stitch together multiple
lengths.
- For the original costume, suede was used so a lining was not necessary,
but if you are using another fabric you may wish to line the sash with the
same fabric as both sides will be seen.

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Under tunic.
- Cut out the pattern pieces using lining and your final/top fabric.
- Sew together the bottom half, and sew the top half separately. Do the
same with the top fabric.
- Attach the lining to the top fabric, and do the same with the top half of
the tunic. Remember to press the pieces as you go
- Next, you can sew together the bottom and top half at the waist, so the
raw edges are on the inside. (see pics if unclear)
- Take some cotton tape and slip stich (look this up if unsure) it over the
raw seam at the waist. This will make sure the seam does not fray with wear
and make it look more professional.

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Leather Jerkin.
- Cut out the pattern using thin leather, and bruise it heavily. This will
make it easier to sew.
- Take the front panels and sew the facing down the front edge on the
underneath. Turn the leather the right way around and fold over the facing
to the front, and stitch it down, folding it the edge so there is no raw edge
showing. You can use bulldog clips to hold the leather in place if needed. See
photos for more.
- Cut out the tabs that run down the front of the tunic. Again, bruise
heavily, and put small dome in 4 of them – two for the top and two for the
bottom.
- Mark out where to position them using the pattern and glue them into
place using contact glue. There tabs are big enough to fold over part of them
to the underside of the jerkin, so that they won’t look “stuck on”.
- When the glue is dry, stitch around each tab about 2-3mm from the
edge.
- Next take the two pieces for the back and stitch down the centre back
seam.
- Cut out the pieces needed for the lattice work on the back. You will
have several strips. Glue and then rivet them in place, remembering to put
the D rings on the middle pieces as you go. The parts that hold the D rings
do not need to be glued down. See photos if needed
- Now they are held in place, stitch down the three vertical strips.
- Mark and punch out the holes where the buckles need to be to keep the
shoulders in place. Add buckles.
- Once this is done, you can sew together the tunic, at the side seams and
the shoulder seams.

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Shoulders.
- Cut out the pieces needed for the shoulders, the main layer from thick
leather and the overlay from thinner leather. Bruise heavily.
- On the main/under layer, use the pattern to mark and punch the holes
needed for the straps. Add the straps with rivets.
- Next, cut out the joining tabs from suede, and rivet the two shoulder
pieces together down the back centre. This will join the shoulders but will
allow more freedom of movement than one large piece would have done.
- Glue on the overlay next, hiding the rivets on the straps. Stitch around
the edge if desired but this step is not necessary.
- Cut out the strips of leather that sit on the middle of the shoulders.
They will sit on top of the shoulder when worn. Add the straps and glue into
place before stitching.
- The shoulders should attach to the jerkin now and the buckles will all
for non-restricted movement.
- Dye the shoulders and jerkin, and antique if desired. Bruise again if
needed, as this will make the jacket look more worn.

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Pauldrons.
- Cut out the pauldrons from thick leather and bevel the edges on both
sides.
- Mark out where the domes will sit and cut small slits for them to go
through.
- On the second domes down (on both sides), punch out a hole big
enough to puch some thonging through.
- Stich some thonging into place, using only a couple of stitches. The aim
is to hide how the thonging is attached under the dome. See photos if this is
un clear.
- Next, put in the domes. The thonging knot and stitching will be hidden
beneath the dome,
- Form the pauldrons using hot water and leave them to dry.
- Once they are fully formed, dip the pauldrons in cold water and dye
them the colour of your choice. Here we used a dark brown.
- Add a buckle to the top centre of each pauldron. This will attach to
the shoulders of the jerkin. The buckles and thonging will make sure the
pauldrons stay in position.
- Antique once dry if desired and wax.

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Vambraces.
- Cut out two of each pattern piece using suede or pig skin (4 in total for
a pair of vambraces).
- On one layer, use the pattern to mark out the position of the domes.
- Attach the domes, using smaller domes on the wrist panel. You can
back/reinforce this layer is you wish.
- Glue the two layers together, but keep the parts separate. You will be
left with two arm pieces and two pieces that cover the wrist.
- Stitch around the edges of each piece using bias binding. You can use
pre-made binding or make your own using the leather.
- Run a line of stitching along the wrist, joining the two parts of the
vambrace.
- Dye and antique the vambraces.
- You don’t need to worry about fastenings as they will be held in place
by the hidden blades.
- However if you are using the pattern for another costume you can add
buckles or eyelets in place of the domes, or on the under layer so that, as
with the pauldrons, the fastenings will be hidden by the top later and domes.

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Aging/distressing fabric.
- Aging fabrics is slightly different to aging leather – there are many
different methods which are very effective but you do still have to build up
the effects as with the leather.
- Here are some of the methods you can use;
- Antiquing fluid/black acrylic paint and water, applied with a sponge or
brush
- Cheese grater applied to hems – go slowly with this one! You don’t want
to do too much and ruin the hem completely.
- Sandpaper – a light sandpaper can be used all over
- Wash the garments – washing repeatedly will age/lighten subtly.

Have fun creating your costume!

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